Sunday February 10, 2013, 9:46 am
What if it's a combination of many things all adding up to an intolerance? I ate wheat for years and had no troubles. Could it be that today we use a hybridized variety? If we do who owns it and who has profited from it? The world is indeed a much smaller place now with 7+billion people on it than when I was growing up and the GMO companies and their financial backers got away with a lot of nefarious things during the 90s in the name of Globalization. Of course as of 2000 it morphed into Corporatization - the bastard Frankenstein child.
How about fluoridation of the water? How about fast foods; sodas; candy; processed sugars and iodized salt? What about the increased carbon pollution factor thanks to fossil fuels; industrialized emissions not to mention the carbon factor of China alone or that 2/3s of the world population live in Africa, SE Asia, India and China and a good percentage openly use fossil fuel to cook with in the open?
Just a few thoughts.....

Sunday February 10, 2013, 10:14 am
Yes, the gluten thing is a fad. Unless you have Celiac disease and few do , you are wasting your time + money with gluten free. And for those of you who stick to whole wheat only and avoid "white" flour, what do you think is contained in whole wheat flour ? White flour starts out as whole wheat so it is contained in whole wheat. Plus if you look up the differences in nutrition between white and whole wheat it is hardly significant.
Just another marketing ploy from companies who want to get your cash. And don't even get me started on sea salt. Unbelievable what people will pay extra for.

Sunday February 10, 2013, 1:50 pm
I disagree entirely. The only means of arresting my poly-arthritis (Rheumatoid and Osteo) has been through the "paleo" diet, which among other things is gulten free, dairy free, sugar free and legume free! -- I've fallen off the band-wagon since my last surgery last summer, but still have far less of these foods and am vastly improved -- time to get back on -- if I can only get the discipline back -- I do believe there is gluten intolerance and will not accept it as being merely a "fad" there are several books on the issue.
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes is a very exhaustive and compelling argument.

Sunday February 10, 2013, 2:21 pm
I am not a Celiac but I do have true wheat allergy (diagnosed in 1988). Gluten free merchandise has been a Godsend to me because if a product is gluten free, I know it is wheat free. And if a gluten free diet helps Lee with his arthritis, that's fine with me. The rest of you non-celiacs - I wish you would just NOT buy gluten free and leave it on the shelf for me! In diet as in everything else there is no such thing as one size fits all!

And Jane - yes, of course white flour is in whole wheat flour. But so are a lot of other things which white flour doesn't have. Unless you are sensitive to one or more of those things, whole grain flour is probably the better choice.

Lee - I am with you bro - Surgery is the pits for sticking with a restricted diet. But you can do it! You go, guy!

Sunday February 10, 2013, 3:53 pm
Because of Kashi cereal lying about the GMO part, I switched to Kamut wheat for my cereal. I haven't had any problem. I choose organic sourdough at the store and haven't had any problem with that either. I still wonder if a lot of the problem with wheat problems might be the GMO factor. If someone has a problem with wheat, I guess you just don't eat it.

Sunday February 10, 2013, 4:20 pm
just because you don't have negative reactions to wheat does not mean that the problems do not exist for other people. in case you are not aware of this tiny fact, let me inform you now that allergens are real.

Sunday February 10, 2013, 7:23 pm
I wish the heck these companies would stop playing around with our foods products. These fads are a flippin joke. Glad I'm not one to fall for them. I'm sick of all of these new cereals and bread products make with these odd ingredients. If I want to eat bread, I'll just make my own with natural ingredients. Wish that they would go back to the old fashion ways. Thanks Cal

Monday February 11, 2013, 12:57 am
'Avoiding gluten can actually be dangerous, Leffler added, since most people get the bulk of their necessary dietary fiber and certain vitamins from gluten-containing grains.'

That sounds like a pretty bad diet. Better to get your fibre from fruit and veggies!

Monday February 11, 2013, 1:15 am
I tried the wheat and gluten free thing for a couple of years. For me it didn't make any difference, so now my diet is based on everything in moderation. A friend had trouble with wheat and avoided it for health reasons for about 7 years, and eventually found that it was actually either the pesticide or herbicide used on the wheat that was causing his health problems. I wish corporations would stop experimenting on us with whatever it is they do to our food.

Monday February 11, 2013, 5:41 am
Several things: First Ann B it is KAMUT, all capitals as it is a registered Trademark name for the corporate owned QK-77 genetic strain of Khorasan wheat that is still a triticum and contains wheat gluten. Second Celiac is at top estimate just less than 1% of the US population. Gluten sensitivity is much harder to put in scale as it depends on to which gluten you are allergic. GS can be caused by any and all kins of wheat, rye, yeast, oats, or the amylase additive for foods. There are also pending studies, that have not been verified or replicated, that May link NSAID use and use of OTC allergy medications as triggers due to their side effects and direct effects on the immune system. There are also some pending studies that link abuse and over use of antibiotics and pro-biotics as they alter the natural bacterial content of the digestive tract, the lining of the digestive tract is where both start and effect the body.
And make no mistake the "Gluten Free" fad has been a massive Corporate Profit Booster, when you consider the number of people now paying much higher prices for products that they do not need.

Monday February 11, 2013, 6:42 pm
Lee, Gary Taubes has been refuted by more than one expert. And believing something is true doesn't cut it, there must be scientific evidence, Gary Taubs "evidence" is iffy at best. If you are on such a restrictive diet as the paleo diet how do you know which part of it actually works ? Is it giving up wheat, legumes, dairy or sugar that's helping you or is it just coincidence ? Yes, there are a few people with wheat allergies and wheat intolerance, but not nearly the numbers of people who "believe" they are so. It's just too easy to convince people they need something and part them from their cash with little or no scientific evidence.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2011/05/16/thin-body-of-evidence-why-i-have-doubts-about-gary-taubess-why-we-get-fat/
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/why-we-get-fat/